


Skam DC Season 5 Episode 1: The Boy Without A Heart

by skamDC (bramgreenfeld)



Series: Skam DC: Season 5 [2]
Category: Original Work, SKAM (Norway)
Genre: (all for clip 6), Dissociation, Emetophobia, Gen, Multi, Sexual Harassment, mild ableism tw for clip 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-14 22:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29923818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bramgreenfeld/pseuds/skamDC
Summary: Theo Rivera knows who he is - he’s a boyfriend, a best friend, a dancer, a son, and above all, a protector, always the one looking out for everyone else. Those are the things that should stay the same, even when everything else seems to change. Even when his best friends seem to be splitting apart, even when the vague thing he’s come to call a family is starting to splinter, even when he’s beginning to feel like everything is slipping out of his control.But at least he has Callum, the boyfriend that he never thought he needed. Callum will always be there for him, even when no one else will - at least, that’s what he’s been telling Theo. He’ll always love him. That’s what Theo clings to, even when their relationship grows more and more fractured, even when Callum becomes more and more controlling, even when Theo starts to forget who he is.Theo is always there for everyone. But when the unthinkable happens, who’s going to be there for him?
Relationships: Kai Linwood/Jasper Markowitz, Theo Rivera/Callum Wilder
Series: Skam DC: Season 5 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2189070
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. MONDAY 12:12PM: YOUR GREATEST FEAR

MONDAY, MARCH 8TH, 12:12PM

Hunger by Florence + The Machine plays over a drone shot of the DC skyline, the sky bright blue and the sun shining. The shot is intercut with footage of THEO from social media - selfies, dance videos, videos of him goofing off with his friends - as well as a couple making out, the camera too close to be able to tell their identities.

We see a brief shot of the final scene of the trailer - THEO being pulled underwater - before cutting to...

INT. BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, STAIRWELL

The couple is revealed to be THEO and CALLUM, sitting on a windowsill in the stairwell. THEO tries to pull away, but CALLUM steals one more kiss from him as the song fades out. THEO laughs.

THEO  
Okay, I should probably go now.

JUDE (O.S.)  
Yeah...

The camera pans over slightly to reveal JUDE awkwardly leaning against the wall waiting for THEO, looking uncomfortable.

CALLUM sighs.

CALLUM  
I really want you to eat lunch with me someday.

THEO  
Aren't you usually rehearsing during lunch, though?

CALLUM  
I can ditch. Mr. Rodriguez won't care.

THEO  
Okay, cool. Not today, though.

CALLUM  
Fine...

He kisses THEO again, and THEO pulls away again.

THEO  
We should probably stop before a hall monitor comes after us.

CALLUM rolls his eyes, but complies, standing up and picking his bag up off of the floor.

CALLUM  
See you tonight?

THEO shakes his head.

THEO  
I have dance tonight.

CALLUM'S gaze is only a few steps away from being a glare. THEO seems to shrink just a little, while JUDE becomes more alert, glancing between the two of them.

THEO  
Um, sorry.

The silence seems to go on for much longer than it actually does.

CALLUM  
It's fine. We have to go out soon, though.

THEO nods.

THEO  
Definitely.

CALLUM finally smiles. He reaches out, touching the angel wing necklace that THEO is wearing.

CALLUM  
Okay, I'm going to head out. Bye. Love you.

THEO  
I love you too.

CALLUM walks away. THEO watches him, smiling softly. JUDE comes up to stand next to him.

JUDE  
So, are we going, or...

THEO startles.

THEO  
Yeah!

He gets up off of the windowsill, he and JUDE walking away.

INT. BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, ART SUPPLY CLOSET

JUDE opens the door to the supply closet, a dim, cramped, messy room lined wall-to-wall with shelves packed with art supplies. There are two trunks against the walls close to the door, and BLAISE and ELI are sitting on one of them.

BLAISE  
Is this like a mental breakdown thing, or...

ELI shrugs.

ELI  
No more than usual.

THEO  
Um, what are we talking about?

He and JUDE sit down on the other trunk, getting their lunches out of their bags.

ELI  
Did you see what I sent in Himbos Anonymous?

BLAISE  
I still don't like that name. I'm not a himbo.

ELI  
Um, when it comes to emotional intelligence, you totally are.

BLAISE shrugs, deciding not to argue. JUDE takes his phone out and opens the groupchat.

JUDE  
This is just a dude with bleached hair.

ELI  
Yeah, I want that.

THEO  
The guy?

ELI  
No, the hair! Doesn't it look kind of cool?

THEO  
Maybe you'll look like Zac Efron.

BLAISE  
Like, Troy Bolton? He didn't have bleached hair, did he?

JUDE  
Not during HSM.

THEO  
That's Troy Bolton's secret twin, Boy Trolton. He was in love with Chad.

ELI  
Bold of you to assume original Troy Bolton wasn't in love with Chad.

THEO  
God, you're so right.

JUDE nudges THEO.

JUDE  
(quietly, to THEO)  
Dude, is that a cosmic brownie?

THEO  
(quietly, to JUDE)  
I'll trade you for your Oreos.

JUDE  
(quietly, to THEO)  
Hell yes.

They clink their treats together like they're making a toast before trading.

BLAISE  
It kind of reminds me of that thing where your hair turns white when you get scared.

ELI  
Can that actually happen?

BLAISE shakes his head.

BLAISE  
Not really. Not overnight or all at once.

ELI  
It's kind of crazy to think about. Like, if that could actually happen, what do you think would do it to you guys? What's your greatest fear?

JUDE  
Kind of a deep topic to be discussing over a cosmic brownie.

ELI  
The answer is time-sensitive and will be affecting my decision regarding my hair.

BLAISE  
Um, I don't know. My greatest fear...probably failure? I don't know what I would do for it to be so shocking that my hair would turn white overnight. I don't really want to think about that, honestly.

JUDE  
Oh, an even deeper topic to discuss over this cosmic brownie.

He unwraps the brownie while he speaks.

JUDE  
Mine's not as good -

BLAISE  
I wouldn't really call fear of failure a good thing, Jude.

JUDE  
\- but I'm not a big fan of needles. So maybe if I was stabbed hard enough. And you made me watch.

THEO  
Out of context Jude Markowitz quotes.

ELI  
What about you, Theo?

THEO frowns, thinking.

THEO  
I'm going to go with drowning.

ELI  
Like suffocating?

THEO  
Sort of. Just the idea of not being able to breathe, or really see, and knowing that you're dying but not being able to do anything about it - yeah, I kind of hate that.

BLAISE  
Well, when you put it like that...

JUDE  
Now I'm kind of afraid of it.

THEO  
Aw, come on. If you were drowning I would save you.

JUDE  
Right back at you, bro.

BLAISE  
What about you, Eli?

ELI shrugs.

ELI  
Um, I don't know. There's a lot to be afraid of. Horses, maybe - 

BLAISE  
Horses.

ELI  
(defensive)  
Yeah, horses! They're a lot bigger than you expect them to be, you know? And, like, they're not the most   
trustworthy animals.

JUDE   
...are you going to explain that, or do you expect us to just know what you mean?

THEO  
No, I kind of get it - 

He makes eye contact with JUDE and they both burst into laughter. BLAISE joins in a second later, as does ELI. 

ELI  
No, it's fine, just make fun of my horseophobia.

BLAISE  
You could have made it sound less like homophobia.

ELI  
No, I couldn't have. The word was in my mouth. 

JUDE  
Yeah, the word was in his mouth. You expected him not to say it?

While laughing, THEO'S hand moves to clutch the angel wing pendant, seemingly unconsciously. 


	2. MONDAY 5:10PM: HOPE

INT. DANCE STUDIO, ROOM B

We hear indistinguishable chatter, seeing a group of boys leaving the room together. THEO lingers behind them, pausing as he catches a glimpse of himself in the mirrors, the multiple THEOS surrounding him.

MITCHELL (O.S.)  
Theo?

THEO turns around quickly, seeing MITCHELL, a dance instructor in his late twenties, lingering by the door.

THEO  
Sorry, I spaced out. I'll get out of here.

MITCHELL  
No, it's fine. I just wanted to talk to you about something.

THEO'S face twitches as he holds back a frown - he knows what's coming.

THEO  
Um, sure. What's up?

MITCHELL  
I kind of feel like I'm not getting a hundred percent from you.

THEO looks down at the floor.

THEO  
I'm trying.

MITCHELL  
I know that you're trying. I can definitely see that. You've got the choreography right, you're almost perfect, actually. But your heart isn't in it.

THEO nods.

THEO  
I just had an off day today. I'll do better next time.

MITCHELL shakes his head.

MITCHELL  
This is an ongoing thing. I remember when you first started dancing here...you danced like you had something to prove. Now it doesn't even seem like it's you dancing. I feel like I haven't seen you dance in months.

THEO nods again, just wanting the conversation to be over.

THEO  
Sorry. I'll do better.

MITCHELL  
I hope you will. See you Wednesday.

THEO rushes out of the room, not making eye contact with MITCHELL.

INT. DANCE STUDIO, LOBBY

THEO exits the locker room dressed in jeans and an oversized gray hoodie. He is taking a pair of earbuds out of his pocket and untangling them, but looks up and suddenly pauses. His gaze goes to the front desk. A Korean girl with shoulder-length hair is standing there, looking uncomfortable.

THEO  
Clara?

The girl looks up, brightening slightly.

CLARA  
Theo!

THEO walks up to her. He looks as if he is about to hug her, but she steps back quickly, so he keeps his hands at his sides.

THEO  
You're back!

CLARA laughs awkwardly.

CLARA  
I am!

THEO  
Oh my god, I've missed you so much. There's no one else here that's cool.

CLARA  
Cool is a relative term.

THEO  
Shut up. You're cool. Are they letting you back in all your classes?

CLARA nods.

CLARA  
Yeah. Ballet, jazz, contemporary...yeah. I didn't think they would, it's been forever.

THEO  
Only three months. You'll catch up.

CLARA shrugs.

CLARA  
I hope so.

THEO  
You _will_. And the recital?

His phone vibrates. He takes it out of his pocket and his face falls.

CLARA  
What about it - is everything okay?

THEO scrolls through the multitude of text messages he's gotten during class, all from CALLUM.

THEO  
Yeah, my boyfriend just texted me a few times during class. He'll think that I was ignoring him.

CLARA  
Boyfriend?

THEO  
Callum? You met him at Friendsgiving.

CLARA nods.

CLARA  
Right.

THEO sends a text back to CALLUM: "so sorry, i had dance class!! i'll call you when i get home <3"

CALLUM reads the message but doesn't respond immediately, and THEO'S stomach twists.

CLARA  
Theo?

THEO looks up, still looking anxious.

THEO  
Yeah?

CLARA  
What were you saying about -

The receptionist comes out from a door behind the front desk.

RECEPTIONIST  
Clara, could I see you in the office, please?

CLARA nods.

CLARA  
Okay. See you soon, T.

THEO  
Bye.

CLARA follows the RECEPTIONIST away. THEO looks back down at his phone. CALLUM still has not responded to the text. THEO lets out a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he tries to keep himself calm. He begins to walk towards the doors, but stops suddenly as his phone goes off. It's a text from CALLUM: "Oh right! Call me soon, okay?"

THEO smiles, exiting the dance studio as he types out a response.


	3. TUESDAY 1:49PM: FREAKS

TUESDAY, MARCH 9TH, 1:49PM

INT. BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, HISTORY CLASSROOM

The classroom is filled with students, most of whom are having their own conversations and ignoring the teacher. There are no windows in the room - the only light comes from the fluorescents overhead. One of them is flickering slightly, emitting a low buzzing sound.

THEO and BLAISE share a desk towards the front of the classroom. BLAISE is propping his head up with his hand, earbuds in his ears.

MRS. BAKER  
The test is about three hours long, and you get a break in between the first couple of section - give me your earbuds, Mr. Moreau.

BLAISE sits up slightly, taking the earbuds out of his ears.

MRS. BAKER  
Nope. Give me them.

BLAISE frowns, but unplugs the earbuds and hands them to MRS. BAKER. MRS. BAKER takes them and puts them on her desk, shooting a glare BLAISE'S way.

MRS. BAKER  
Anyway, first there's the multiple choice section, that's about an hour long. Fifty five questions, fifty five minutes.

The kid on the other side of BLAISE is chewing gum. BLAISE rests his head on his hand again, trying to cover his ear to block out the sound, but it doesn't do much. THEO glances over at him, concerned.

MRS. BAKER  
Next is the short answer section, that's the one that we still need to practice with. The first two questions are required, and you can pick one of the last two to do. Last is the DBQs, we've been working on those -

The bell rings, and BLAISE winces at the sound of it. Everyone begins to get up, loudly chattering as they pick up their things and leave the classroom.

MRS. BAKER  
We'll go over that one tomorrow, alright?

THEO waits for BLAISE while he goes to the front of the classroom to get his earbuds. MRS. BAKER, standing by the desk, clears her throat.

MRS. BAKER  
Nope. I'm keeping these for a few days.

BLAISE looks alarmed.

MRS. BAKER  
Don't look at me like that. You've had enough warnings.

BLAISE doesn't say anything, just turns around and leaves the classroom. THEO glares at MRS. BAKER, who does not seem to notice, and picks up his and BLAISE'S bags, leaving the classroom.

INT. BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, HALLWAY

THEO rushes out into the crowded hallway. He searches the large group of students passing through until he spots BLAISE leaning against a wall on the opposite side of the hallway. He walks briskly over to him, pushing through the crowd.

He lightly touches his arm, and BLAISE opens his eyes, flinching away.

THEO  
Sorry, sorry...

He takes out his phone, sending BLAISE a text: "do you want to get out of here?"

BLAISE realizes what he is doing and takes out his own phone, sending back another text: "i have class"

THEO: "do you feel like going?"

BLAISE thinks about it, then reluctantly shakes his head. THEO sends another text: "are you good to go now, or do you want to wait for the crowd to die down?"

BLAISE: "i'm fine, let's go"

THEO nods. He and BLAISE walk away, trying to find the best route through the crowd.

EXT. BUCHANAN HIGH SCHOOL, ROOF

The two boys exit out onto the roof. BLAISE goes to sit on the edge, breathing hard. THEO follows behind him more slowly. For a moment, they just sit there in silence, the wind the only sound. THEO doesn't say anything, just waits to see if BLAISE wants to talk.

Finally, BLAISE lets out a sigh. He's taken a fidget cube out of his pocket at some point and is clicking it.

BLAISE  
Fuck. Sorry.

THEO  
Sorry? For what?

BLAISE  
For freaking out like that. For _always_ freaking out. Like, I can never stand that fucking class, and I'm the reason that we eat lunch in that supply closet instead of the cafeteria or whatever...

THEO  
Okay, first of all, the cafeteria thing is my fault. Because I can't deal with eating in front of people.

BLAISE  
It's not your fault. 

THEO  
Yeah, and it's not yours either. It's neither of our faults, and neither of us are freaks. Mrs. Baker is the fucking worst, though.

BLAISE  
God. Yeah.

THEO  
Don't you have an IEP or something that can stop her from doing that?

BLAISE shrugs.

BLAISE  
Yeah, but...I don't really want to get on her bad side. Or her worse side. And if I did make an issue out of it my dad would probably have to get involved, and I don't want him to have to deal with that. He's got enough on his plate.

THEO is still concerned, but he nods.

THEO  
I see what you mean. 

BLAISE pulls his knees up to his chest, and rests his head on them.

BLAISE  
I should go back to class, but...

THEO  
You're missing what, French?

BLAISE nods.

THEO  
You'll be fine. Brown won't reject you for missing one French class. 

BLAISE  
I'm ahead anyway.

THEO  
There's the Blaise I know and love.

BLAISE smiles, truly smiles. The camera zooms out, showing them from the back as the clip ends. 


	4. WEDNESDAY 3:17PM: LAST CHANCE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10TH, 3:17PM

INT. MARLOW HOUSE, HALLWAY

THEO walks down the hallway, still carrying his school backpack. He's holding a book in his hands, The Things We Carried, and flipping through the first few pages absentmindedly.

He pauses. The camera pivots to show a few large posters leaned up against the walls. The closest one reads: "Making the world better since 2003: vote Jasper Markowitz for 2022 class president". THEO becomes aware of the sound of chatter coming out of KAI'S room.

INT. MARLOW HOUSE, KAI'S BEDROOM

The door is open, and THEO pokes his head in to see KAI and JASPER stretched out on the floor. They have other posters in front of them, as well as a ton of art supplies, but they seem more interested in talking to each other than working on them.

THEO  
Hey.

They both look up.

KAI  
Hey!

JASPER  
Hey, Theo.

THEO  
I didn't know you were running for president.

JASPER nods.

JASPER  
Yeah, I thought that senior year might be a good time to do it. My last chance, anyway.

THEO  
You're already making posters? I thought the election wasn't until May.

JASPER  
I kind of wanted to get a head start. We're allowed to start hanging up posters in a couple weeks, and I want there to be a lot of them, so...

KAI  
Do you have any ideas? As his campaign manager, I'm looking for stupid but sophisticated.

JASPER  
I should put that on my resume.

THEO  
What do you have so far?

JASPER  
Um, we have the handmade ones, and then I made these in Photoshop...

He grabs his laptop, logging in and pulling up a few tabs in Photoshop. He clicks through a series of professional-looking posters.

THEO  
Dude, did you make those?

JASPER  
Um, yeah?

THEO  
They're really cool. You're super good at this.

JASPER brightens.

JASPER  
Really?

KAI  
I told you. You've always been awesome at stuff like that.

JASPER  
Do you think it's enough, though?

KAI  
I mean, I don't think it's going to be the posters that get you votes.

JASPER  
What will, then?

KAI  
 _You_. Come on, you're so cool. Everyone knows you, everyone likes you. You're the perfect person to be president.

JASPER smiles, scooting closer to KAI.

JASPER  
You think so?

KAI  
Yeah, I know so.

THEO is still hovering awkwardly in the doorway, watching them. He sees their smiles, the easy way they interact with each other, and his stomach twists. He exits the room, neither of them noticing.

INT. MARLOW HOUSE, HALLWAY

We follow THEO down the hallway as Are You Even Real? by James Blake begins to play.

INT. MARLOW HOUSE, THEO'S BEDROOM

THEO tosses his bag and book to the floor and flops down on his bed. He takes out his phone, typing out a message to the Himbos Anonymous group chat: "anyone want to game or smth"

BLAISE responds quickly: "sorry, i have a ton of french homework"

ELI: "oui"

BLAISE: "oui"

ELI: "i'm babysitting chloe and i think jude is at work"

ELI: "i can't believe jude works at target now"

ELI: "do you remember alex from target? that but he's jude"

JUDE: "No"

ELI: "wtf go back to work"

JUDE: "I'm on break"

ELI: "off topic but are you guys busy friday?"

JUDE: "I'm free"

THEO: "same"

BLAISE: "i should be done with everything by then"

ELI: "okay so i have a suggestion: the theater kids are having a party friday night and we should go"

THEO'S face falls almost imperceptibly. He turns onto his side, still reading the messages but not really responding anymore.

JUDE: "A theater kid party??"

ELI: "yeah they're lit"

BLAISE: "if you say so"

ELI: "guys pleaseee i really want to do something this weekend"

JUDE: "I'll go"

BLAISE: "i guess i will too"

ELI: "theo you too right??"

THEO sighs, but reacts to ELI'S message with a thumbs up. Messages are still coming in, but he ignores them, going to his chat with CALLUM. He sends him a text: "are you busy right now?"

The response is quick: "I'm with August rn". THEO frowns, not really knowing why, and turns off his phone. He curls up into a ball on his bed, closing his eyes.


	5. FRIDAY 3:06PM: ONE NIGHT OFF

FRIDAY, MARCH 12TH, 3:06PM

EXT. DC STREET

THEO, JUDE, BLAISE, and ELI are walking down the street. BLAISE is a few steps behind the rest, staring down at his phone. ELI is showing the other boys something on his own phone.

ELI  
See, I was invited. It was um, that kid, the one with the blue hair...

JUDE  
I find it a little hard to believe that someone whose name you don't even know would invite you to a party.

ELI  
...Isaac! That's him!

THEO  
This isn't even a personal invitation. It just says whoever wants to come can come.

ELI  
Yeah? And we're whoever. Do you even want to come?

THEO shrugs.

THEO  
I guess.

ELI turns so that he is walking backwards.

ELI  
Hey, Blaise!

It's clear that BLAISE heard him based on his frown, but he doesn't look up.

ELI  
Blaise!

BLAISE finally does look at him, albeit reluctantly.

BLAISE  
Yeah?

ELI  
You're coming to the party tonight, right?

BLAISE  
Probably not.

ELI frowns.

ELI  
What the hell, man? You said that you would!

BLAISE  
I _said_ that I should have everything done by then. I don't think I will, so I'm not going.

ELI sighs.

ELI  
You always do this.

BLAISE  
Excuse me?

The group has stopped walking. JUDE and THEO exchange nervous glances.

ELI  
You know. You always say that you're going to do something, then you back out of it at the last minute.

BLAISE  
Because I'm fucking busy. I can't keep getting distracted.

ELI  
You have the highest GPA in the entire school, you should be able to take one night off!

BLAISE  
Just because you don't care doesn't mean I shouldn't.

ELI is stunned for a moment, then laughs, incredulous.

ELI  
Sorry, what? 

BLAISE rolls his eyes.

BLAISE  
Forget this. I'm going home. 

He walks past ELI and the other boys. THEO looks concerned.

THEO  
Blaise, what's going - 

ELI  
Yeah, no.

He runs up to BLAISE, grabbing his shoulder to stop him from leaving. BLAISE wrenches away from him.

BLAISE  
Get your hands off of me!

ELI  
Don't tell me that I don't care!

JUDE  
Okay, stop it. Both of you. 

They both turn to look at him, seething. THEO hangs back, looking nervous.

JUDE  
What the hell is going on with you guys? Blaise, you've been acting weird all afternoon.

ELI  
Yeah, what the fuck is -

JUDE  
You've been weird, too. Why are you so amped about this party? 

ELI shrugs.

ELI  
A party is a party - 

JUDE  
That's exactly what I'm worried about. 

ELI  
What do you mean, worried about?

JUDE  
I mean that I'm worried about _you_.

ELI scowls and shakes his head.

ELI  
Fuck this. I'm going home. See you tonight, I guess. Or not. Whatever.

BLAISE  
Same.

They both turn away, then realize that they are walking in the same direction. ELI turns around and walks in the opposite direction.

THEO  
Isn't your house the other way?

ELI ignores him, walking off into the distance.


	6. FRIDAY 10:48PM: HEARTLESS

FRIDAY, MARCH 12TH, 10:48PM

INT. ISAAC'S HOUSE, LIVING ROOM

Seventeen by Troye Sivan plays as the camera skims over a crowd of teenagers, the room lit up with blue lights. THEO and CALLUM are dancing together near the wall. THEO is smiling, but CALLUM looks more intense. He leans forwards and kisses THEO. THEO reciprocates eagerly at first, but grows unsure as CALLUM starts crowding him against the wall.

THEO  
Callum -

CALLUM kisses him again, cutting him off. His hands drop to THEO'S waist, creeping up under his shirt. THEO opens his eyes, the lights flashing red, and pulls away from CALLUM.

THEO  
Callum, stop!

CALLUM steps back, his eyes blazing. THEO instantly seems to shrink, stepping backwards, away from him.

CALLUM  
When will you fucking get over yourself?

THEO'S face falls. CALLUM doesn't seem to notice as he stalks off. THEO opens his mouth as if to call his name, but CALLUM is already too far gone.

THEO closes his mouth slowly as the music begins to fade, sounding as though it is playing from another room. There is a close-up on THEO'S face as he runs a hand through his hair, closing his eyes. When he opens them again, we can hear his heart beating, the sound of his breathing. We see through his eyes as he glances around him - everything looks ever-so-slightly blurred, just enough so that it seems like something is wrong.

Another wide shot of THEO. There are people moving around him, lights slowly fading from blue to red and back again. Every movement blurs, and everything on the screen seems the slightest bit warped - especially THEO himself.

AUGUST (O.S.)  
(muffled)  
Theo?

THEO blinks a few times. He hears AUGUST, but does nothing to acknowledge him.

AUGUST (O.S.)  
(clearer)  
Theo, hey -

A hand reaches out and grabs THEO'S arm. THEO glances around, making eye contact with AUGUST. Everything sounds clearer now, although not completely back to normal. THEO'S heartbeat fades into the background.

THEO  
What's up?

AUGUST  
It's Eli, he's -

THEO  
Passed out in the bathroom?

AUGUST  
Um, no.

THEO  
Puking in the bathroom and generally just a drunk mess?

AUGUST  
Got it.

THEO nods.

THEO  
Where is it?

AUGUST  
This way -

He walks off, and THEO follows him.

INT. SOMEONE'S HOUSE, BATHROOM

AUGUST opens the door, motioning for THEO to enter. ELI is half-kneeling, half-lying-down on the floor, his head against the toilet. He looks up when THEO enters.

ELI  
Dude! Dude. Dude?

THEO sits down next to him. The world around him still seems blurred, ELI'S voice sounding far away.

THEO  
What's up?

ELI  
Where did Jess go?

THEO  
Jess?

ELI  
Jess. They were talkin' to me. Like they actually liked -

He chokes, leaning closer to the toilet and beginning to vomit. THEO rests a comforting hand on his back. There is a close up on his blurred hand as he moves.

THEO  
How fucking much did you drink?

ELI doesn't respond, still puking. THEO glances at AUGUST, who only shrugs.

THEO  
Okay, um, I think we should probably head home now.

ELI shakes his head.

ELI  
No, but what about -

THEO  
Don't think that you're going to make a great impression on Jess right now, dude.

ELI lets out an exaggerated groan.

ELI  
We're still goin' to Jude's, right? I want to do my hair.

THEO  
Are you sure you're going to be up for it? You're in for a wicked hangover tomorrow.

ELI  
I don't get hangovers.

THEO  
You're so full of shit.

He glances over at AUGUST.

THEO  
Have you seen Jude anywhere?

AUGUST  
Um, last I saw him he was in the kitchen. He looked pretty fucked up.

THEO  
_Jude_ did?

AUGUST nods. THEO sighs and stands up.

AUGUST  
I'll stay here and make sure he's okay.

ELI  
Thanks.

THEO  
Thank you.

AUGUST  
No problem.

He catches THEO'S arm as he leaves the room.

AUGUST  
Hey, are you okay?

THEO laughs awkwardly.

THEO  
Uh, I'm fine. I didn't even drink anything.

AUGUST  
You just seem kind of out of it.

THEO  
I seem out of it?

AUGUST  
Fair point.

He drops THEO'S arm. THEO exits the room, the sound of the door closing echoing behind him.

INT. SOMEONE'S HOUSE, KITCHEN

There is still music playing, but the sound is indistinguishable, everything seeming to blur together. JUDE is leaning against the kitchen counter, talking to some other guys. THEO pushes through the crowd towards him.

JUDE grins widely as soon as he sees THEO, his conversation partners forgotten. He runs towards THEO and throws his arms around him. THEO stiffens for a moment before hugging him back.

JUDE  
Theo!

THEO  
Jude!

JUDE  
Did you know that you're my favorite?

JUDE'S words have an echoing effect. THEO steps back.

THEO  
Uh, you know I do. How much did you drink, dude?

JUDE  
Yes.

THEO  
...okay. Listen, are you good? This doesn't seem like -

He realizes that JUDE isn't looking at him, instead staring at something over his shoulder. THEO follows his gaze to see THEO FINCH standing with the rest of the girl squad, laughing at something SAFIYYA has said. THEO rolls his eyes.

THEO  
Come on, really?

JUDE  
What?

THEO sighs.

THEO  
Forget it. We're going home.

JUDE frowns.

JUDE  
I don't want to.

THEO closes his eyes for a moment. He looks as if there's something he wants to say, but he either can't or won't express it - he doesn't have the energy to.

THEO  
Okay, but Eli is fucked up, and he wants to go back to your place, and we took your car here, so unless you want to spend the night here...

JUDE groans.

JUDE  
Fine.

THEO turns around, walking back to the bathroom. JUDE slings an arm around his shoulders as they walk, but THEO barely sees to feel it.

INT. MARKOWITZ APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM

The door to the apartment opens, showing THEO, JUDE, and ELI on the other side. ELI is barely awake, THEO and JUDE - mostly THEO - supporting him.

JASPER and KAI are sitting close together on the couch, KAI'S arm wrapped around JASPER'S shoulders. They seem to be in their own little world, but they look up upon hearing the trio enter.

JASPER  
You're already back? I thought that you guys would...damn, Jude, really?

JUDE distances himself from the other two boys, his movements shaky.

JUDE  
What?

JASPER  
You're completely fucked up.

KAI  
You know, you can add -ed to pretty much any noun and make it another word for drunk. Completely tabled.

JASPER  
Completely laptopped.

KAI  
Completely baseballed - no, that sounds like it means something else.

JASPER laughs, truly happy. He stands up, as does KAI.

JASPER  
Um, night, guys. Super excited to hear about your hangover in the morning, Jude.

JUDE  
Fuck you.

JASPER waves cheerfully. He and KAI walk away towards his bedroom, threading their fingers together. THEO stares after them.

INT. MARKOWITZ APARTMENT, JUDE'S BEDROOM

JUDE enters the room first, flopping face-first onto the bed. THEO deposits ELI next to him. ELI mumbles something, curling up on his side.

THEO  
Make sure he doesn't die, okay?

JUDE nods sleepily. He looks up when he notices THEO walking away from the bed.

JUDE  
Are you not sleeping in here?

THEO pauses at the door.

THEO  
Nah. There's no room for me.

JUDE is too out of it to protest. THEO glances over his shoulder at them, keeping a hand on the doorframe. He feels as though there's a glass wall separating him from them, keeping him on the outside. He turns away.

INT. MARKOWITZ APARTMENT, BATHROOM

THEO stands at the sink, splashing cold water onto his face. We can hear his ears ringing. He grabs onto the counter, bracing himself. He flashes back briefly, seeing CALLUM'S face again. He takes a deep breath, then lets it out slowly as the ringing gradually stops.

INT. MARKOWITZ APARTMENT, HALLWAY

Dancing On My Own by Calum Scott begins to play as we follow THEO to the hall closet. He pulls out an extra blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders.

INT. MARKOWITZ APARTMENT, LIVING ROOM

THEO is curled up on the couch, staring at nothing. He seems slightly more present now, but still not very happy.

His phone, sitting on the arm of the couch, goes off. He reaches over his head, feeling around for it. He turns it on to see a text from BLAISE: "sorry i ditched you guys tonight".

THEO responds quickly: "it's all good. everything okay with you?"

BLAISE takes a moment to respond. We can see him typing, and then stopping on and off. Finally, a text comes through: "i'm fine".

THEO: "are you sure?"

There is a pause while BLAISE formulates his response: "i feel really bad about what happened today"

BLAISE texts again: "i was so wrapped up in my head that i took it out on eli. it wasn't really his fault"

THEO: "have you talked to him about it?"

BLAISE: "next time i see him i will"

THEO considers, and then types another message: "and in the meantime do you feel like talking to me about whatever's going on in your head?"

BLAISE: "not really tbh"

THEO: "that's fine!"

BLAISE: "what about you, though?"

THEO frowns.

THEO: "what about me?"

BLAISE: "are you doing okay? you seemed kind of out of it last time i saw you"

THEO stares at the phone for a moment, and then begins typing quickly, barely thinking about it: "sometimes i feel heartless. not like mean but like i'm missing something somewhere and i can't feel things the way i'm supposed to. sometimes i don't feel anything at all, but it's honestly scarier when i feel way too much. i want to just feel things like a normal person but i never can and i know that it's all because of"

He stops suddenly, his fingers freezing on the keyboard. He erases every word of his text and instead sends, "i'm fine! just a little tired, i think i'm going to go to sleep now"

BLAISE: "ok, good night"

THEO: "good night"

He turns off his phone, setting it down on the coffee table. 

He turns onto his back, staring up at the ceiling and the camera. He doesn't look like he's going to fall asleep anytime soon.

CUT TO END CREDITS AS SONG CONTINUES.

**Author's Note:**

> to see this season's playlist, the characters' instagrams, and get a link to the skam dc discord, head to my tumblr @skamdc!


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